Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
- Lamar Jackson: 19/28, 161 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT | 14 carries, 70 yards
Lamar Jackson struggled for most of the game, especially after his most targeted receiver Marquise Brown missed a majority of the second half with an injury. He did what he had to do to get the win. His worst game fantasy-wise, he had 161 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions along with 70 yards on the ground. Normally that passing line will be total dust for you in fantasy, but his 70 yards rushing at least gives you a chance in leagues to pull out a win. The Ravens didn’t dial-up much in the passing game downfield after Brown went down. This wound up being a floor game for Jackson and we should expect better going forward.
Running Backs
- Mark Ingram: 19 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions 5 yards
- Gus Edwards: 5 carries, 17 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
- Justice Hill: 2 carries, 7 yards
Mark Ingram continues to be a touchdown-dependent RB2 in fantasy football. He was pitiful in terms of efficiency and he doesn’t produce in the passing game, with nine receptions through five games. He was fortunate to get into the endzone and will be one of the better bets for a touchdown on any given week. Gus Edwards remains a pure handcuff to Ingram as he has gotten limited run every week and is a bench stash/on your wire in every league. Justice Hill can safely be dropped in most leagues. He will not have value unless Ingram gets injured.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Marquise Brown: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards, 1 touchdown
- Mark Andrews: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 45 yards
- Willie Snead: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 51 yard
- Hayden Hurst: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 32 yards
This offense looked good from the start, as they put up 10 points right away on the Steelers. Marquise Brown’s beastly score put the Ravens up 17 to 7 but he was hampered by an injury after that. He collected one reception after leaving with an injury in the second quarter. It doesn’t seem overly serious as he returned to action later in the game. Mark Andrews had seven targets and caught five of them for 45 yards. Again, more of a floor game for this Ravens passing offense. Andrews had solid volume for a tight end and should be continued to be relied on as a TE 1. Willie Snead and Hayden Hurst picked up the slack with Brown out a lot of the second half. They combined for eight catches on nine targets but neither is very reliable in terms of fantasy.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
- Mason Rudolph: 13/20, 121 yards, 1TD
- Devlin Hodges: 7/9, 68 yards
There was a scary moment in Pittsburgh where Mason Rudolph was hit by two defenders and left motionless early in the second half. He was eventually supported by two teammates and helped off the field. Rudolph was playing okay before the injury. He was mostly checking the ball down to his receivers and letting them make plays, just like Juju Smith-Schuster did on his touchdown reception. Going forward, Devlin Hodges should be completely avoided if he has to start. He made simple, planned check-downs when asked to throw the ball.
Running Backs
- James Conner: 14 carries, 55 yards, 1 touchdown
- Jaylen Samuels: 3 carries, 2 yards | 1/2, 4 yards, 1 interception | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 11 yards
James Conner had trouble getting much going against this Ravens front with Brandon Williams healthy. He had a short goalline touchdown which saved his fantasy day. It is concerning that he wasn’t targeted in the passing game and should be looked at as a mid/low RB2 going forward. Jaylen Samuels was heavily involved early with the wildcat offense. He threw an interception early, which gave the Ravens possession deep in Pittsburgh territory. After that, he was only used in complement to Conner in the backfield. Samuels should be owned in all leagues but can’t be trusted in a starting role right now.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- JuJu Smith-Schuster: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
- Dionte Johnson: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 27 yards,
- James Washington: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 52 yards
- Vance McDonald: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 32 yards
Smith-Schuster was highly efficient in his seven targets. He caught all of them for 75 yards and made a nice move, eluding a Marlon Humphrey tackle, on his touchdown scamper. Other than that, he was targeted on short passes and converted them all to receptions. Dionte Johnson was mostly asked to catch underneath passes and try to make something happen with them. He did not make any splash plays and had an underwhelming receiving line. James Washington had his best game of the season but was the clear third option in this passing game. Vance McDonald was scarcely targeted in his first game back from injury. These receivers will be fades if Hodges has to play going forward.
–Kevin Taylor (@ktbeast918)